


Watashitachino

by keroseneinablender



Category: Bokura no | Bokurano: Ours, Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Genre: Bokurano Spoilers, Crossover, Gen, No Spoilers for Madoka Magica
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-05
Updated: 2016-09-15
Packaged: 2018-04-30 06:38:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 21
Words: 13,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5153945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keroseneinablender/pseuds/keroseneinablender
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five girls gather at a summer nature school. One day on the beach, they are asked if they would like to play a game. A game where they pilot a giant robot and save the world. Only this game is not a game, and the battles are much more than they seem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Do You Want to Play a Game?

The five of them had met at the summer nature school, save for Madoka and Sayaka, who were already best friends and went to the same school. But other than that, they had all been strangers prior to attending. Mami and Kyoko were third years; all the other girls were second years.

They had been spending the day on the beach, but really they hadn’t been doing much of anything. Until…

“You girls want to play a game?”

The offer had seemed harmless enough, they would get to play a video game where they would pilot a giant robot and protect the Earth from enemies. Though insisting they enter into a contract to do that by placing one of their hands on a flat piece of machinery was a bit odd. Sayaka was the first agree, eager to play out the role of the hero, out to save the world. Madoka was the second, encouraged by her eager friend. Kyoko joined the contract next, showing a great deal of enthusiasm despite saying it was because she really had nothing better to do. Next was Mami, the other girls insisting that she join them in the game; that she stop working so hard all the time for once, and just have a bit of fun. Homura hesitated before putting down her hand, but she ultimately agreed as well, not wanting to be the only girl not playing the game.

Only it wasn’t really a game at all, as they found out that night.

That’s when a pair of giant robots appeared in the ocean, and they found themselves standing in the cockpit of one of the robots.

“Welcome to the cockpit.”

They witnessed the robot moving; where shown how to defeat the enemies by crushing their vital areas.

Then they found themselves on the beach, watching as the robots disappeared into nothingness.

It _really_ wasn’t a game at all.


	2. Mami Tomoe (1)

When she woke up the next day, Mami wondered if the previous day’s events had all simply been a dream. She found out they weren't almost immediately.

“Tremors and strange weather patterns have caused considerable damage to areas along the coast, with number of casualties as of yet unknown. Some of the local residents have reported seeing a pair of robots battling each other in the ocean and claim that this is the cause of the damage, but these reports are unconfirmed at this time.”

“In other news, Mitakihara City has seen another major traffic accident along…”

She switched off the news, not wanting to hear about the latest tragedy in her hometown.

“Hey, I was still watching that!” Sayaka protested, looking up from her breakfast as she did so.

“I really don’t want to listen to the news about someone else’s tragic accident over breakfast, it just isn’t pleasant. Other people’s tragedies should not be used for entertainment.”

“You sound like my dad,” Kyoko chimed in, “He always cries listening to news like this.”

“Really?" Sayaka piped up again.

“Yeah, he cares about other people so much listening to stuff like that always gets to him.”

“Your dad sounds really nice, Kyoko.” Madoka spoke up for the first time, having listened silently to the conversation up to this point.

While eating her food, Mami took out her homework, balancing the book next to her tray of food.

“You’re seriously studying right now?” Kyoko said as she herself worked on breakfast. “It’s possible to take being studious too far, you know.”

“I-I think it’s admirable that she works so hard.” Homura said, the first words she had said that day.

“Still, you have to have other things to do, right?”

“I agree, you girls have much more important things to do right now.”

“Huh?”

Mami looked up from her work, looking for the source of the new voice. The others were looking around the room in confusion. That’s when a small creature appeared before them.

“Aahh!” Sayaka flinched away from it, startled by the sudden appearance of this creature.

Its head was huge compared to the size of its body, which was white save for some pink markings on it’s ears and body. It’s eyes were pink as well and it’s mouth seemed to be locked in a toothy grin. Moreover, it was simply floating in the air, limbs hanging limp.

“It’s time to load your magazine.”

In a flash, Mami found herself where once more transported into the cockpit of the robot with the other girls.

But this time was different. Last time, there had been a circle of chairs in the centre of the room, all empty save one. Now the room was simply an empty void.

“Whaaaat?” Sayaka looked around the room in confusion.

“Hey!” Kyoko walked up to the creature, still holding her chopsticks, “What do you think you’re doing? I wasn’t finished eating yet! Who do you think you are?”

“I’m going to be your guide through these games. Now do any of you have any questions?”

Sayaka was the first to pipe up.

“Is it true the robots are real?”

“Are we really going to be piloting this thing?” Kyoko’s question followed quickly after.

“Are we really tasked with protecting humanity?” Mami added her own question to the growing pile.

“Is-is it really very dangerous?” Homura’s question was asked so quietly that barely anyone could here her over the shouting.

“Isn’t there something, you should ask me first, just to be polite?”

Everyone fell silent. Mami stared at the creature for a moment, unsure of what exactly it was asking.

“Well, uh, what’s your name?"

It was Madoka who broke the silence.

“You can call me Koyemushi. Now let’s get started.”

The creature then began floating towards the centre of the room.

“Wait!”, Sayaka shouted as she pursued the creature, “what about the rest of our questions?”

It ignored her, simply pausing in the centre of the room as something began to rise from the floor.

_It’s chairs_ , Mami realized as the forms rising from the floor became clearer. Five chairs, rising in a circle around the room. What’s more she recognized one of the chairs. It was hers. The chair she had always used to sit in when eating meals with her family. But why was it here?

“These chairs are created from your memories.” Koyemushi said, “You should recognize your own.”

Mami saw the other girls moving towards the other chairs as she moved towards her own. Sayaka approached a computer chair, the kind with wheels. Madoka moved towards a chair that also appeared to be a kitchen chair, though it was much more angular in design than Mami’s. Homura meekly stood by a simple folding chair, which Mami recognized as the sort found in hospitals. As for Kyoko, what she claimed just barely fell within the definition of ‘chair’. It appeared to be an entire church pew.

_That’s right_ , Mami thought, _she mentioned her father was a preacher, didn’t she?_ No doubt Kyoko had quite a few memories of listening to her father speak from that pew.

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

Homura cried out as the chairs suddenly began to move.

“What’s going on?” Sayaka shouted as the chairs moved faster, rotating in a circle.

“The first pilot is being selected.” Koyemushi stately this flatly, as calm as could be.

At that moment a glyph appeared on the in the centre of the circle of chairs. It was in the shape of a flower, with one of the petals elongated so that the chairs were passing over it.

Then the chairs began to slow. Mami watched the chairs continue to pass over the glyph as they decreased in speed, until it the circle of chairs finally stopped. Finally stopped, with a very familiar chair resting on the glyph.

_Mami Tomoe_. A strange voice called her name, sounding both disturbingly close and impossibly distant at the same time.

“Congratulations,” Koyemushi said, just as emotionless as before, “Mami Tomoe, you are to be the robot’s first pilot.”


	3. Mami Tomoe (2)

Mami ran the brush through her hair once more, trying to ignore the shaking in her hands, the mark peeking out from underneath her hairline. That mark had appeared just as she’d heard the voice.

“Woah, Mami, look at your neck!” Sayaka had been the one to first point it out.

“What is that?” Madoka had asked Koyemushi just after her friend’s exclamation.

“Simply a reminder of who the next pilot is,” the creature had answered, “I will call you back here when the time comes to begin your battle.”

Then they found themselves back where they had been taken from.

Mami sighed, then tied her hair back into her normal pigtails.

_This is my duty_ , she told herself, _I have been chosen to save the world. Maybe, that’s why I survived then._

She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on the past when she needed to focus. Even as she waited to be called to the robot, she still had her homework.

“Hey, Mami!” Kyoko choose that moment to burst into the room. “Quit being so studious for once and come hang out!”

Kyoko pulled her away from the work and into another room, where the other girls were gathered around a table. A table laden with sweets.

“Where did you get all this?” Mami had to ask.

“Since we had the day off, we asked Ms. Saotome to show us how to make them.” Madoka replied, “She made this tea for us to have with it, too!” She held up a simple teapot to illustrate the point.

“…But, why? Why would you do something like that?”

“Because, because we thought you would be scared, since you’re going to be the first of us to fight.” Homura muttered, “So, w-we decided to throw a tea party for you.”

“We figured it would help calm your nerves and get you pumped up for the coming battle.” Sayaka added. “If you’re going to be this world’s hero, you’re going to need resolve.”

Mami felt tears coming to her eyes. “Thank you, this was so kind of all of you.”

“Us pilots should encourage each other.” Madoka said, “After all, we are all friends, right?”

“We’re…friends…”

“Yeah,” Kyoko said as she elbowed Mami in the ribs, “so stop standing around. There’s no way I’m going to let you waste all the food we took the trouble of making for you.”

Mami blinked several times as she watched Kyoko join the other girls at the table. She didn’t really have friends, not since the accident. They had all moved on with their lives while she spent months in the hospital recovering, and spent still more months in rehabilitation. Coupled with the fact that she was also trying to keep up with her schoolwork, she hadn’t really had time for visitors anyway. Even after she got out of the hospital she had to keep her own house now, on top of what she had to do for school. She pushed herself to catch up with her classmates despite the time she’d spent in the hospital; pushed herself to surpass them. Maybe she was hoping to prove to herself that there was a reason only she had survived, a reason that she was the one alone now.

_But I’m not alone_ , Mami realized watching the other girls, _I have them: Madoka, Sayaka, Homura and Kyoko. I have friends._

And for this first time since her name had echoed in the robot, Mami’s hands stopped shaking. In fact, she felt almost exhilarated. For the first time, she felt ready to face whether enemy she had to fight. Because, for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t alone anymore.

Mami smiled, and sat down at the table with the other girls.


	4. Mami Tomoe (3)

Mami watched the enemy robot descend towards the ocean from the cockpit.

Koyemushi had teleported them in just as they had finished their party. They had all taken their seats, before they rose from the ground and the darkness in the cockpit lifted to reveal a view of the outside.

The enemy robot appeared to be shaped almost like a discus, hovering above the ocean. Even compared to the 500 metre tall, only vaguely humanoid behemoth Mami was piloting, its size, shape and stillness made it appear very alien the world it floated above.

“The robot moves by thought, right?” Mami asked Koyemushi, just to check.

“Yes,” it replied, “The robot will perform whatever actions you will it to.”

_I can’t just stand here_ , Mami thought, _I should move closer so I can attack the enemy._

The moment she thought that she wanted to move forward, the sound of metal scraping on metal reverberated through the cockpit. And slowly, the robot began to walk towards the disc.

“Yeah,” Sayaka exclaimed, “Go get’em Mami!”

“But don’t forget to be careful,” Madoka added, “Or someone might get hurt.”

“Lots of people get hurt.” Koyemushi moved so that it was right next to Madoka as it said this, “That’s just the nature of these battles.”

In that moment, as if to confirm Koyemushi’s statement, the disc rushed forward and rammed into the robot. There was a screech of metal on metal when the disc made contact with the centre of the robot.

“Aaaaaahhhhh!” Homura screamed as the cockpit lurched from the impact. The inertia of the robot’s forward motion had caused the robot’s upper body to fold over the disc. This allowed those in the cockpit a clear view of the enemy robot as it pushed against their own.

_It looks just like a flower_ , Mami thought, temporarily distracted but the shape the enemy robot when viewed from above. Like a petaled flower, with a set of lights right in the centre.

Then the enemy began to spin.

“It’s trying to saw us in half!” Sayaka shouted as she swivelled to look at Mami, “You have to stop it somehow.”

Mami gripped the seat or her chair and ground her teeth, trying to think of a way to stop the clearly much faster opponent.

“Maybe, maybe you could use one of your arms to pin it down.” Homura said softly.

“Yeah! That would stop it from moving around on us and give you the opportunity to strike at it!” Kyoko enthusiastically seconded the plan.

“Okay…” Mami willed the robot to raise one of its arms. “Stop moving!” She brought the arm down.

There was another metallic screech as the arm made contact, piercing through one of the petals of the robot. Mami continued forcing the arm down until it pieced the sea bed, pinning her opponent down. The impact of such a massive object hitting the ocean caused a massive surge on water up onto the shore. Mami tried not think about the people that would have been caught in the surge.

_I’m doing this protect them, to protect everyone,_ she told herself.

“You got it!” Madoka cheered from her seat.

“But how you going to finish it?” Sayaka asked, “You can’t lift your arm to make a strike at it without setting it free.”

“You can detach any part of the robot you wish.” The advice came from Koyemushi.

“Then, I’ll…” Mami willed the pinning arm to detach at the shoulder, “…finish you…” She stood the robot up and brought the remaining arm down into the centre of the enemy robot.

The metal of the enemy robot protested as she pierced a hole just next to the set of lights. She lifted the arm again, and saw it exposed.

The enemy’s vital area.

A white, spherical object, scaled on the surface. The object whose destruction will win her the battle.

“That’s it! Strike it at full force!” Kyoko pushed her on from across the cockpit.

She pointed the robot's single arm at the vital point, aiming to finish it off with her robot’s lasers.

_This is it,_ she thought as she aimed the arm, _The battle’s final shot._

She looked up at the other girls, watching her in awe as she prepared to end her battle. Suddenly, she was struck with the sense that this moment needed a bit of flourish. Perhaps a name for her final strike?

_The final shot? Final shot…_ Mami smiled as she prepared her attack, and as she fired she shouted…

“Tiro Finale!”

The enemy’s vital area was vaporized when the laser stuck it, the fading of the lights on the enemy’s centre indicating it was now inactive. The viewscreen inside the robot returned to black, and the floating circle of chairs fell to the floor, the floral glyph on the floor fading as it touched down.

“You did it Mami!” Madoka jumped of her chair and rushed to embrace the victorious pilot.

Watching her friend, Sayaka laughed and cheered.

“C-congratulations!” Homura added her own statement to the accolades.

Kyoko approached her as Madoka released her from the hug, and lightly punched her in the shoulder without a word.

_I did it, I won…_ Mami thought as she looked at the other girls, at her friends, _I protected the Earth…I’m surrounded by my friends…I’ve never been…so happy…_

She suddenly felt lightheaded. Then her vision began to blur, and the cockpit began to spin around her.

_What’s…happening…_ She’d felt fine a moment ago, exhilarated even, so what was happening to her?

“Mami, are you okay?” Madoka’s concerned voice sounded so far away to Mami, even though she was standing right next to her.

She could feel the strength leaving her limbs. Her vision kept blurring more and more. She could here her friends' voices, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying anymore. She felt herself beginning fall forward as her vision faded to black.


	5. Sayaka Miki (1)

It had all happened so fast.

One minute they’d been celebrating Mami’s victory in her battle. Then Mami began acting strange, before suddenly collapsing to the ground. She’d watched Madoka rushed to Mami’s side, shaking her in an attempt to revive her.

But the girl hadn’t responded.

After watching Madoka’s vain attempts at reviving Mami, Kyoko had wandered over to check.

That was when she uttered a sentence that still echoed in Sayaka’s ears.

“What the- She’s dead!”

“What?!” Sayaka heard herself call out as her legs propelled her forward. “How?”

“You weren’t told?” Koyemushi floated amongst the shocked group of girls. “Typical. They always try to shelter the young ones from the truth.”

It glided back to the centre of the circle of chairs. “Where did you think this big guy gets its power from?”

“B-b-b-batteries?” Homura stammered, still frozen next her chair.

“Wrong.” Koyemushi’s eternal smile seemed almost mocking. “It gets its power from the pilot.”

The girls all found themselves staring silently at the alien creature.

“In order for the robot to move, the pilot must give their life force to power it. This means you’re absolutely going to die after your battles.”

_‘Absolutely going to die’, there’s another phrase I just can’t get out of my head._

Sayaka was in her own home. The nature school had been cancelled after Mami’s death during the robot’s second appearance near the island. She’d been considered another casualty of the massive tidal surge that had accompanied her battle. Only Sayaka and the other girls knew any different.

No one had come to claim Mami’s body. It turned out her family had been killed in a traffic accident, and she had been living on her own. She didn’t even have any aunts, uncles or cousins who had come for her, even after she had been confirmed as one of the dead.

Madoka had been the first to bring it up.

“We can’t just leave her here,” she’d said as they were packing their things, “It isn’t fair, she fought to protect everyone, and now she doesn’t have anyone to mourn her!”

“But what can we do?” Homura asked.

“Yeah, it’s not like they’d let us claim her body.” Sayaka’d told her.

“Well, they wouldn’t let _us_.” Kyoko sounded as if Sayaka’s statement had given her inspiration, “But I might know someone they would.”

It later turned out that someone had been her father. He not only claimed Mami’s body, but also insisted on conducting a service for her, claiming that no one should go unremembered, especially one who’s life had ended so young.

Attending, Sayaka had been surprised by the number of people there. There was herself and the other girls from the nature school as well as a good number of Mami’s teachers and classmates. She had been withdrawn from them, but she clearly hadn’t been disliked.

Hearing him speak about the tragedy of the loss of such a young life, Sayaka realized Kyoko had not been exaggerating at all about how much of a bleeding heart her father was; it was clear recent events had severely affected him.

It was after the funeral when it happened again.

They were called back into the cockpit.

They got to watch as the chairs spun around another glyph, deciding which of them would die next.

Finally, a chair stopped between the fins of a mermaid’s tail.

_Sayaka Miki._


	6. Sayaka Miki (2)

_It all feels so surreal, I’m just walking to school like everything’s normal_ , Sayaka thought, not really paying attention to where she was walking.

“Good morning, Sayaka!”

Shocked back to reality by the familiar voice, Sayaka looked up to see Madoka standing next to their friend Hitomi, who was the one who had shouted the greeting.

“Good morning, Hitomi.” Sayaka hoped the smile she had one her face didn’t look too forced. Hitomi didn’t have any idea what was happening, and she preferred to keep it that way.

“I’m so happy that both you and Madoka are okay,” Hitomi said as they made their way to the school, “I was so worried when I heard the news. I thought something might have happened to you.”

“Yeah…” Madoka’s eyes shifted over to Sayaka, hinting at the truth that neither of them dared to say.

“I’m so sorry about that other girl though,” Hitomi kept going, apparently not noticing the secrecy, “Mami Tomoe was her name wasn’t it? It must be so hard for the both of you.”

 _It’s harder knowing how she died_ , Sayaka answered it her head, _And knowing that the same fate awaits us, too._

“It’s just so tragic, going out on a quick shopping trip and getting caught up in that battle between the robots. I hope they find out who’s operating those soon, and put a stop to all of this.”

“Yeah…,” Madoka spoke up again, her face brightening as she thought over Hitomi's comment, “Maybe that would save anyone who would have otherwise gotten hurt.”

 _Yeah, maybe,_ Sayaka’s silent commentary continued, _But somehow I really doubt it._

It was as the girls where making their way towards their classroom that they ran into him. He'd been a friend of Sayaka’s since they’d been kids.

“Oh, hey Sayaka!”

“Hey, Kyosuke.” Sayaka waved quickly, she didn’t want to deal with another friend who didn’t know anything right now.

 _But if I’m being honest, I like him as a bit more than just a friend,_ Sayaka thought as she turned away from him. As she did, she thought she saw Hitomi staring at him, but Hitomi seemed to notice that she saw and quickly looked away.

The class settled into their seats, preparing for the start of the day. Then the teacher made an announcement.

“Before we begin, I would like to introduce the new transfer student that will be joining us from now on. Come on in, Akemi.”

Sayaka looked up, and there stood Homura, nervously fiddling with her bag.


	7. Sayaka Miki (3)

"Why didn’t you tell us Homura?” Madoka asked.

She and Sayaka had managed to get Homura alone during break, under the pretext of showing her around the school.

“I was going to, but…” Homura shifted her eyes away from Madoka.

“But, what?” Sayaka asked her, “You wanted it to be a surprise?”

“No!” Homura looked up, “It’s just I was so nervous, and…and then everything happened with the robot… and Mami… I just didn’t know how to tell you.”

“Still, this is great Homura! Now we don’t need to worry about how you’re doing.” Madoka, at least, seemed enthusiastic.

“I’m…actually more worried about you.” Homura looked straight at Sayaka, “After what happened to Mami…are you okay?”

Looking into Homura’s concerned eyes, Sayaka found herself at a loss for an answer.

“I..uh…”

“Sayaka, Madoka! There you are!” Hitomi’s arrival saved Sayaka from having to articulate an answer. “You both just snuck off on me, and with the new girl, too.”

“We just wanted to talk privately with her for awhile…” Madoka began.

“She was at the summer nature school with us.” And Sayaka bluntly finished.

“Oh…” Hitomi suddenly looked bashful. “That’s why you wanted to talk alone, huh? To see if she was okay after what happened?”

“Yeah…” Madoka nodded in agreement.

“Anyway,” Hitomi turned towards Homura, “I haven’t introduced myself formally yet, I’m Hitomi Shizuki, Madoka and Sayaka’s friend.”

“H-Homura Akemi,” Homura replied, looking as nervous as she had introducing herself to the class, “It’s nice to meet you. Madoka and Sayaka…They both talked about you…quite a lot.”

_Oh yeah, we did_. Sayaka recalled, surprised that Homura had, since so much else had happened. _But then, she knew she was going to be transferring to our school. I guess she just wanted to get an idea about the sort of people she would be meeting here_.

“But the real reason I came looking for you,” Hitomi’s voice again brought Sayaka back to reality. “Was because I wanted to speak privately.”

She was staring straight into Sayaka's eyes as she said this.

“W-what is it, Hitomi?” The intensity of Hitomi’s stare rattled Sayaka a bit.

“Something personal,” Hitomi replied, “But we really don’t have the time to discuss it now. Would you mind meeting me after school?”


	8. Sayaka Miki (4)

_Would you mind meeting me after school?_

Hitomi’s question had rolled around in Sayaka’s head the rest of the day, as she wondered what Hitomi could possibly want to talk to her about that couldn’t be said in front of Madoka and Homura.

_I mean, she barely knows Homura, so I guess she wouldn’t want to discuss things in front of her, but she’s just as close to Madoka as she is to me. So why?_ Sayaka just couldn’t figure out what Hitomi would want to talk to her about alone.

Which was why she was now sitting in a mall café waiting for Hitomi to get out of her after school lesson. Whichever it was today.

“Thanks for waiting for me.” Hitomi walked in and joined Sayaka at her table, carrying her school bag and a small coffee.

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Sayaka asked as Hitomi put her coffee down on the table between them.

“I’ve been keeping a secret from you and Madoka for a long time now.” Hitomi said, sitting up far straighter than could possibly be comfortable.

Sayaka couldn’t help but look at Hitomi’s discomfort as being a bit naive. _After all, there’s no way the secret she’s been keeping from me and Madoka is larger than the secret we’ve been keeping from her._

The stress bubbled out of her in the form of a nervous giggle. “Really Hitomi? You didn’t seem like the sort of girl who would keep secrets.”

Hitomi’s posture didn’t change as she continued, “I spent a lot of time thinking while you and Madoka were at the nature school, wondering whether I say anything. And then I heard about Mami Tomoe.”

“Mami?” _Why would Hitomi bring her up?_ “What does she have to with anything?”

“She was only a year older than we are. And she died, just like that. So I started wondering, how many regrets must she have had?”

That last sentence struck a chord with Sayaka. How many regrets did Mami have? She didn’t know. All she knew was that Mami had seemed surprised when she and the other girls had tried to encourage her before she piloted the robot, when they’d called her their friend…

Hitomi continued on, apparently unaware of Sayaka’s musing. “Eventually I decided, I don’t want to have regrets. I don’t want my last thoughts to be about what could have been.”

“That’s all really heavy don’t you think, Hitomi? We’re only in middle school.” _And you’re not the one whose days are numbered._

“So was Mami.” Hitomi took a deep breath, before looking Sayaka straight in the eyes. “That’s why I decided, I’m not going to lie to myself anymore, and I’m not going to lie to you. For a very long time, I’ve been in love with Kyosuke Kamijo.”

This statement caused Sayaka’s mind to completely blank. This wasn’t nearly the most groundbreaking revelation she’d heard in the past little while, but it shook her to her core.

“K-Kyosuke, huh?” she finally managed to stammer out, “That’s great…what a lucky guy…”

“I know you’ve been friends with him for a while, which is why I wanted to tell you first.”

“What, what do you…”

“You’re a precious friend, Sayaka, and I don’t want you to have regrets either. And I’ve noticed you watch him even more than me.”

“I…I don’t…”

“I’ve decided I’m going to confess to him, but I don’t want to steal him away from you. So I’m going to confess tomorrow after school. You have until them to admit your feelings to him before me.”

“Uh…Hitomi…”

“I know this must be a lot to think about, so I’ll leave you alone to think it over. Confess to him, or don’t, just do what feels best to you. Make sure you don’t have any regrets.”

With that Hitomi stood up, grabbed her school bag, and left the café.

Sayaka was left seated alone at the table, her mind a whirlwind of conflicting emotions as she stared at Hitomi’s abandoned coffee cup.


	9. Sayaka Miki (5)

The rest of that day was a blur. Sayaka had continued staring at the abandoned coffee for who knows how long, before finally getting up and returning home.

It was only once she was safely alone in her room that the emotions clouding her mind became clear and focused, and she burst into tears.

“What’s all this fuss about?”

Shock stemmed the flow of Sayaka’s tears. Why was she hearing this voice right now?

She looked up and there was Koyemushi, floating just in front of her face.

“Gaaahhhh!!!” It’s sudden appearance combined with it’s extreme closeness caused Sayaka to cry out and back away from the creature. “Why are you here?”

“Just checking up on the next pilot.” It replied, smile as unmoving as ever, “Making sure you aren’t thinking about running away or finding a way not to fight.”

“Is there a way not to?”

“No.” It’s eternal smile suddenly seemed very mocking. “Not unless you plan on letting this world be destroyed.”

“Are those seriously the only options?!”

Koyemushi continued to float in the centre of Sayaka’s room, unmoved by her sudden increase in volume.

“Yes, you can either pilot the robot, save the Earth, and die. Or you can not pilot the robot, and let this entire planet be destroyed. In the end, it’s your choice, you are the pilot after all.”

With that Koyemushi disappeared, leaving Sayaka alone in her room again. She sat in silence, staring at the chair at her desk, identical to the one sat in the robot’s cockpit.

_What should I do? It’s not like I can be with Kyosuke, even if I do confess to him, since I could be called to fight at literally any time. And I don’t want to hurt Hitomi any more than she seems to want to hurt me._

Sayaka continued staring at the empty chair.

_But I don’t what to have any regrets either. I don’t want to feel like I missed my chance._

Sayaka pulled her knees into her chest and pressed her face against them, tears of frustration again welling up in her eyes.

_I don’t know what to do! I don’t want to die, I’m just in middle school. But I have to to fight or the world is destroyed._

_I’m just in middle school, I shouldn’t have to worry about this. I should just have to worry about the fact my friend likes the same guy I do._

_I don’t want to die._


	10. Sayaka Miki (6)

Sayaka didn’t go to school the next day. She spent the day curled up on her bed, hiding under the covers as though she was trying to block out reality.

_I can’t go back there. I can’t go back and pretend like everything’s normal. Even if it means…it means losing Kyosuke to Hitomi…_

Sayaka clutched her pillow closer as the tears began to flow again.

_It’s for the best anyway. I’m only living on borrowed time right now. Kyosuke and I can’t be together anyway. It’s best if I just let him and Hitomi be happy together._

Her tears flowed harder.

_So why does that thought make me feel so…so…_

Sayaka’s thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knock at the door.

“Sayaka…may I come in?”

“Madoka…”

Madoka opened the door slowly before walking in, still wearing her school uniform.

“You didn’t come to school today so…I was worried about you. Homura and Hitomi were, too.”

“Hitomi…?” Sayaka sat up at the sound of that name.

“I asked if they wanted to come with me, but Homura said she had a doctor’s appointment she couldn’t miss and Hitomi…" Madoka shifted her eye away from Sayaka, "Well… She said you might not want to see her. Something about what happened when the two of you spoke yesterday.”

_No doubt she didn’t want to miss her scheduled confession to Kyosuke._

“What’s wrong Sayaka? If you’re scared to fight you can talk to me about it. Homura, too. I know we can’t do anything to help you but…” tears began to well up in Madoka’s eyes now, “I don’t want to see you suffering alone.”

Sayaka looked away from Madoka, towards the window.

“I’m not just scared to fight, I’m terrified. I don’t want to go through with it, knowing I’ll die afterwards. But that’s not why I skipped school today.”

“Then, why,” Madoka took a step towards Sayaka, “Please tell me Sayaka!”

“Because Hitomi’s going to confess to Kyosuke today!” The tears of frustration started falling from her eyes again. “And I can’t do anything about it! All because of all this robot crap! I know this must sound so childish, the fate of the world is at stake, but…but…”

Madoka wrapped her arms around Sayaka from behind, “It’s okay, Sayaka, it’s okay…”

Sayaka turned around to return the hug. “Thank you, Madoka…”

Suddenly, the world shifted around them.

They were no longer in Sayaka’s bedroom.

“Ready, ladies? It’s time for round two.”


	11. Sayaka Miki (7)

The girls all settled into their seats, painfully aware of the one that now sat empty. The darkness of the cockpit lifted, revealing to the robot to be standing in a large city.

“Mitakihara? Why is the battle happening _here_?” Sayaka asked as she stared down at her hometown.

“The battles take place wherever the pilot is, you were in Mitakihara, so this battle is going to take place in Mitakihara.” Koyemushi answered, matter of fact as ever.

“Please try to careful, Sayaka,” Madoka said, sounding frightened. “There’s so many more people here than there were back on the island.”

“I know…” Sayaka gritted her teeth. She’d seen how much damage the battles on the island had done.

_A battle in the middle of the city could be so much worse. I have to focus on minimizing the damage. So why am I still thinking about…_

“You should be more focused on your opponent than the arena.”

Koyemushi’s remark drew Sayaka’s attention away from her thoughts and towards the enemy robot materializing in front of her.

This robot appeared to be smaller than the one Mami had fought, or the one that Sayaka was now piloting. It was long and thin, with one end tapering to a point and the other featuring a pair of fins on the other. Just as Sayaka was trying to get a sense of this new enemy, it seemingly disappeared.

“Where did it go?” Kyoko shouted as Sayaka frantically looked around for it.

Then the robot shuddered from an impact.

Sayaka frantically looked around, catching a glimpse of the enemy robot’s tail fin before it disappeared into the ground.

“It’s borrowing underground…” Sayaka muttered softly, “How am I supposed to fight an enemy that can do that…”

“Maybe…if you strike at it just after it leaves the ground…you could hit it…” Homura’s reply was just as soft, but it struck a cord with everyone in the cockpit.

“Yeah,” Kyoko enthusiastically endorsed Homura’s idea, “It’s going to have to pop out somewhere near us if it wants to hit us right? So you don’t even have to look far!”

Sayaka began trying to turn the robot as quickly as she could, but no matter how she tried, the robot was so large that she found it unwieldy, and the smaller, faster robot kept scoring hits on her.

As Sayaka steadied the robot shuddered from yet another impact, this time to one of its arms, Madoka spoke up for the first time that battle, just five simple words, “Sayaka, look at our arm.”

Where the enemy robot had made contact with the robot, there was now a hole pierced clean through their arm.

“It’s putting holes in our armour.” Madoka continued, looking worried, “Koyemushi, what happens if it manages to hit our cockpit?”

“That’s a question you really have to ask? This cockpit would be completely trashed if that were to hit it.” Koyemushi replied with its usual lack of emotion.

“But I can’t move this massive thing fast enough to find it before it hits us.” Sayaka ground her teeth in frustration.

“You don’t have to try and move the robot, you know,” Koyemushi said, “You just need to focus on what you really want to find, and that screen will display it for you.”

“Really? Then why didn’t you say so before we took all those hits!” Sayaka shouted, the frustration at the way her battle was going bubbling over.

Koyemushi’s reply was simple, “You never asked.” Sayaka ground her teeth again, but tried to focus on finding the enemy robot. But despite the severity of her situation, despite how desperately she needed to win her battle her thoughts kept echoing back to her friend and her crush.

_While I’m struggling so hard to save all of us, I’ll bet Hitomi and Kyosuke…_

“Sayaka!”

This time it was Kyoko’s voice that pulled Sayaka out of her revery. Looking up, she realized that since her thoughts had wandered to Hitomi and Kyosuke, the screen was displayed their images.

And they were far from having a good time.

_Hitomi must have gone in a different direction than she normally does today, so that she could talk to Kyosuke._

And that path had brought them both directly into the middle of their battle. They were both running, trying to escape the damage that the two robot’s were doing to the street. Hitomi staggered, almost falling over as the enemy robot caused tremors once more emerging from the street.

Sayaka felt the enemy robot make impact with hers again, but she ignored it. She was too focused on the figures displayed on her screen.

“Hey…Sayaka…” Madoka sounded as timid as Homura usually did, “I know you’re hurt by what’s happening with Hitomi and Kyosuke, but you need to focus on the battle.”

_I know that…but… Seeing the two of them together…_

Kyosuke was holding Hitomi’s hand, trying to guide her through the rubble. As the girls in the cockpit watched, the two of them were nearly crushed by the rubble from a house the enemy robot burrowed straight through.

“Please Sayaka!” Madoka pled. “Just finish this battle before they get seriously hurt. You know you’d regret it if you let anything happen to either of them!”

_Regrets…_

As Sayaka turned over that word in her mind, the pair on the screen just barely dodged the rubble sent flying by the enemy robot’s latest emergence from the ground.

“It’s your turn to be this world’s hero isn’t it?” Kyoko’s words echoed something Sayaka herself had said to Mami, before she’d fought in the robot. “So act like it! And kick that robot’s ass!”

_That’s right, I’m supposed to protect this world. That’s really all I can do now…_

The two figures on the screen continued running, but the rumble continued to fall around them, rubble it was clear they couldn’t outrun forever.

_Looks like all three of us are going to die as a result of this battle…_

“Sayaka…You have to do something,” Madoka continued to plead with her friend. “You have to save them!”

“That’s right!” Kyoko added, “A hero wouldn’t just let her friends die!”

The sunlight that had surrounded Hitomi and Kyosuke up until that point suddenly disappeared.

Sayaka seemed to hesitate for a moment, before calling out a single word.

“Koyemushi!”

“Yes?” The creature answered, as small pieces of rumble began to fall around the two people on the street.

“Is there any way I can save them? Does this robot have some trick for that the you also never mentioned?"

“No,” it replied simply, “However…”

“Yeah? What?! Tell me if there’s something that can save them, Koyemushi!”

“I could teleport them into the cockpit, then teleport them out again, somewhere far away from the fighting, if you wanted me to.”

Sayaka looked at her friends, clutching each other as ever larger pieces of rumble surrounded them. She close her eyes and said with a quiet determination. “Do it. Bring them into the cockpit.”


	12. Sayaka Miki (8)

The result was instantaneous. In a flash Kyosuke and Hitomi vanished from the viewscreen, before reappearing in the centre of the ring of chairs.

“What?” Kyosuke was the first to speak, as the two of them looked around their new surroundings in shock.

“Madoka…Akemi…Sayaka…” Hitomi looked around at the girls she recognized. “What…what’s happening…”

Then she caught a glimpse of the screen.

“Huh? Are we…are we inside the robot?”

_I suppose since they’re already here, I should just tell them the truth._

At that moment, the cockpit was rocked by another impact from the enemy robot. Hitomi screamed until the shaking ceased.

“What…what’s happening?” Hitomi shouted, looking around herself in confusion.

“We’re fighting.” Sayaka answered simply.

“What? What are you saying Sayaka?” Hitomi looked at her friend, not understanding what she was telling her.

“At the summer nature school…we…we entered a pact with this robot, that we would fight to protect the world.”

“Then…the appearances at the island…” Hitomi blinked, still confused.

Sayaka nodded. “Those were our first battles. And…and that’s what happened to Mami.”

“Did she lose or…”

“No, we can’t lose. The world is destroyed if we do. It’s just that…for every battle the robot chooses a pilot, and after that battle….no matter if they win or lose, that pilot dies.”

“That’s awful…” Hitomi’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“I’m so sorry we didn’t tell you, but we didn’t want to get you involved in all this.” Madoka said while looking at the floor of the cockpit.

“Which of you is it, then?” Hitomi’s voice was still soft, barely audible above the sounds of the battle unfolding around them. “Who is it that has to die?”

“It’s me.” Sayaka said. “For this battle, I’m the pilot.”

This revelation struck Hitomi dumb. She stood with her hands shaking, staring at Sayaka.

“I don’t want have any regrets, so I’m going to have Koyemushi,” she nodded towards the small creature, “Send the both of you someplace safe.”

_I don’t know how they’re going to react to all this in the long run_ , Sayaka thought, looking at the two people standing in the cockpit, _But I don’t regret saving them at all._

“Also,” Sayaka turned her gaze to Kyosuke, who had been silent since his initial appearance in the cockpit. “I wasn’t planning on telling you this, but…” She looked at Hitomi. “I don’t want to have regrets when I die so…”

“I’ve been in love with you for a very long time, Kyosuke.”

Sayaka sighed and closed her eyes.

“Feels good to finally say it. But the both of you, take care, alright?”

Sayaka opened her eyes and made a simple command.

“Koyemushi.”

“Wait,” Hitomi stepped foreward, “Saya-“

Whatever Hitomi was going to say was cut off by Koyemushi teleporting her and Kyosuke out of the cockpit.

_With that out of the way, I can finally focus on fighting._

The image of the enemy robot appeared on the screen of the robot. Currently it was underground.

_My mind feels clearer than it has since I was first named the pilot._

The enemy robot emerged from the soil.

_Madoka’s probably going to have to deal with Hitomi…but I hope she understands we don’t have choice anymore._

Sayaka turned the robot and extended one of it’s arms towards the enemy.

_To protect this world, we have to fight._

It was a clean hit.

_To protect everything we care about, we have to die._

“Congratulations, that was a direct hit to the enemy’s vital point.”

_This isn’t fair, we’re only kids, only in middle school._

The screen went black and the chairs fell to the floor.

_Madoka, Homura, Kyoko…Mami…I have absolutely no regrets._


	13. Kyoko Sakura (1)

“Why do we have to go again?”

Kyoko heard her little sister asking as her mother tried to usher them both out the door.

“She was a friend of your sister’s, Momo.”

“It’s such a waste, all those young lives…It must be so hard for you, Kyoko, losing two friends in such a short amount of time.”

Kyoko didn’t say anything, simply walking out the door of her family’s home.

It had been two days since Sayaka’s battle. Because of the devastation caused by the enemy robot, that part of Mitakihara had been totally evacuated. And the number of dead was staggering; her father had been crying harder over the news than ever. Kyoko herself had snuck a quick peak at the list, curious but at the same time not willing to learn the names of those who had been killed. One name jumped off the page at her.

“Sayaka…” The name slipped out before she could stop herself.

“Kyoko…” her mother responded to Kyoko’s utterance.

“Did recognize one of the names on the list, sis?” It was Momo who ended up actually asking the question.

“Yeah,” Kyoko admitted, pointing towards the newspaper, “That one, Sayaka Miki. She was one of the other girls at the nature school.”

“Oh, dear, I’m so sorry…”

Her mother had hugged her, saying how devastating it must be to lose another friend. Momo had patted her hand and told her not to cry. Her father had tried to comfort her by telling her that Sayaka was in a better place. Her entire family was, in their own way, trying to make losing another friend easier for Kyoko.

_But I’m not upset._ Kyoko thought as she was walking out the door. _I was sad when Mami died, but…now I just feel numb. Like I’m already getting used to watching my friends die._

Kyoko looked towards her family, just now ready to leave. _Thankfully they haven’t noticed anything odd. Or they think I’m just in shock or something. Dad definitely wouldn’t react well if her learned I’d been riding that thing._

‘A giant black demon’ he’d called it. A monster that simply appeared and rained destruction down on Japan before vanishing again without a trace. A being that brought nothing sadness and ill fortune wherever it went.

Though some good fortune has visited her family because of it. Her father’s church, empty on Sunday’s since his excommunication, had had new worshipers at the last service. Apparently his funerary service for Mami had spoken to some people. That, or sudden destruction makes people eager to try new things, religion-wise. Either way, while he was happy to see people in his church again, her father had also said it felt like he was benefitting from the misfortune of others.

_Because of that, he’s been working extra hard trying to help relief efforts however he can._

That largely meant contributing his time to charity groups helping survivors, since their family didn’t really have any money to spare, and even if they did, he’d’ve insisted on personally helping anyway. The past two days, he had been helping search for survivors in the devastated parts of Mitakihara.

On one hand, this meant, he’d come home late the past two days, completely exhausted. On the other…

“Good morning, Father!”

He’d made friends doing the work, and one had offered to drive him and his family to Sayaka’s funeral today. Faster and easier than taking a bus, he’d said, especially when you’re grieving for someone.

_Only I’m not really grieving for her, it’s like I’ve just accepted that she’s gone. That we’re all going to be sooner or later._


	14. Kyoko Sakura (2)

There was already a decent-sized group of people there when Kyoko and her family arrived. A few people turned to look at them when they arrived, some with what looked like recognition on there faces.

_They must have been at Mami’s funeral, too_ , Kyoko thought, _Or least heard about it somewhere._

“Kyoko!”

Kyoko turned towards the sound of her name. Through the crowd, she Madoka waving at her. She was standing next to Homura, as well as distraught-looking, green-haired girl.

_It’s that girl Sayaka saved_ , Kyoko realized, _Hitomi was her name, right?_

Madoka motioned for Kyoko to join her and the other girls.

“Are those your friends, Kyoko?” her mother asked as she noticed the girl motioning at her daughter.

“Yeah… Two of them anyway… They’re the rest of the girls from the nature school.”

“Go and talk to them. We’ll be here if you need anything.”

Her mother gave Kyoko a gentle nudge towards the other girls.

“You talk about you friend with other people that knew her.”

Kyoko wordlessly made her way over to the other girls, knowing it likely wasn’t Sayaka that they wanted to discuss.

“So what’d ya want?” Kyoko asked Madoka when she reached them.

It was the green-haired girl, Hitomi, who answered. “I wanted to talk to all of you about what happened. I wanted to ask you about the robot.”

“Huh?” Kyoko was surprised by that. “Why’d you wanna know?”

“Because…” Hitomi looked down for a moment before looking back at Kyoko. “Sayaka was my friend…and I should have been there for her. She must have been having such a hard time…and I didn’t know about it at all. And…I can’t help thinking…That I…That I might have…”

Hitomi started sobbing before she could finish whatever it was she was going to say. It took Madoka giving her a reassuring hug before she was able to continue.

“I want to know what’s happening. I want to be able to be there for you if you need me. I want to be able to help. I don’t just want to stand back helpless while my friends fight to save the world.”

Kyoko sighed at Hitomi’s plea.

“Look, I understand where you’re coming from. You want to help the people you care about. But there’s really nothing you can do. You’re not part of the contract.”

“That’s not necessarily the case.”

Hitomi gasped, taking a step back as Koyemushi appeared, hovering about Kyoko’s shoulder.

“You-you’re the creature…that was there…before…” Hitomi said as she stared directly at the being that had not been there a minute ago.

_Guess she wouldn’t be used to him just appearing, huh?_ Kyoko thought as she witnessed Hitomi’s reaction to Koyemushi’s appearance. _At least he didn’t just teleport us to the cockpit this time, that woulda freaked her out more._

“Pleased to formally meet you, Hitomi Shizuki, I’m Koyemushi.” Disregarding Hitomi obvious shock, the floating creature pressed on. “Regarding you’re desire to help the pilots, it’s true that there really isn’t much you can do since you’re not part of the contract. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t become part of the contract.”

“What?” The four assembled girls’ voices formed a chorus as they now all stared at Koyemushi in shock.

“But that’s not something we can do here, luckily, we have business in the cockpit.”


	15. Kyoko Sakura (3)

Hitomi whipped her head left and right, taking in her new surroundings at the girls materialized in the cockpit.

“We’ll discuss you joining the contract once we are finished with our first order of business.” Koyemushi said as it floated in the centre of the cockpit.

“What’s the first order of business?” Hitomi asked, focusing her gaze on Koyemushi.

Kyoko noticed that Hitomi seemed much calmer than she had before they had been teleported to the cockpit. Looking her over, she noticed that while her voice was steady, her hands were shaking. _I guess she’s just trying to put on a brave face._

Koyemushi never replied to Hitomi’s query, but the glyph that appeared on the floor provided the answer, at least to the other girls.

Hitomi turned towards Madoka as the ring of chairs began to rotate once again. “What’s happening?”

“The next pilot is being chosen.” Madoka said quietly.

“Because Sayaka…?” Hitomi’s eyes focused on the chair that had once been her friend’s as it moved past her.

“Because she died?” Koyemushi finally spoke up again. “That’s correct. Of course, she died because she was the pilot, but you already knew that.”

“S-Saya…” Hitomi began to weep. “I-I pushed her…I probably made things so much worse…”

Madoka reached her arms around her friend. “It’s okay, Hitomi. You couldn’t have known.”

“Yeah, so don’t go feeling all guilty about i— huh?”

_I could have sworn I just heard someone calling my name._

“Kyoko…” Homura called her name quietly, looking towards the chair that had stopped in the pilot’s position.

The rest of the girls turned slowly to where Homura was looking.

“T-this had to be some kind of sick joke!” Kyoko stammered as she stared at her chair and the glyph it was sitting in.

_Those look just like the symbols my Dad uses in church!_

“It’s no joke, you get to be the next pilot.” Koyemushi quickly floated towards Hitomi. “With that out of the way, would you still like to be become a pilot yourself?”

“Yes.” Hitomi stared straight at Koyemushi, eyes determined.

“Hang on.” Kyoko spoke up, tearing her eyes from her chair. “If she joins the contract, does that mean we’re going to have to fight another robot? That guy said we only had to fight five enemies, one for each of us.”

“There’s no need to worry about that. You still only have three enemies left to battle.”

“Then what good would letting this girl join the contract do?” As she spoke, Kyoko pointed at Hitomi.

“Contingency.”

“Huh?”

“In case something happens to one of you before you have the chance to fight your battles, she could be there to fill the empty space.”

“Something like that couldn’t actually happen though, right?” Madoka took a step towards Koyemushi. “So there’s really no need to for Hitomi to join the contract at all!”

Kyoko looked at Madoka, realizing that she must be worried about her friend. _She already lost her best friend after all… She must not want to have to lose Hitomi, too. Especially since Hitomi seems determined to throw her life away out of guilt._

“Actually…” Homura spoke up, eyes shifted away from the rest of the girls. “…Do you remember when I told you why I had to be out of school for so long?”

_Oh crap._ “You said you had a heart condition.”

Homura looked up at Kyoko and nodded. “Right. So…it’s actually possible…that something…could happen to me, before I’m able to fight.”

“Then there’s no reason to wait.” Hitomi looked directly at Koyemushi. “I’m ready to join the contract.”

Koyemushi floated back towards the centre of the ring of chairs, Hitomi following behind him. The same piece of machinery that the other girls had sealed their contracts with rose from the floor of the cockpit. Hitomi gently placed her hand on it, determination still writ on her face.


	16. Kyoko Sakura (4)

After Hitomi joined the contract, Koyemushi teleported the girls back to the funeral. As soon as they arrived, Kyoko walked in a daze back to her family. As soon as she saw her, Momo ran towards her and hugged her.

“Don’t cry, okay, Sis?”

_Am I?_ Kyoko blinked, just noticing the tears streaming down her face. She wrapped her arms around her sister, and looked up at her parents.

They were talking to a distraught man and a woman Kyoko didn’t know. _Could those be Sayaka’s parents?_ Kyoko wondered.

Just then, her dad grabbed the man’s shoulder and her mom hugged the crying woman.

_They’re comforting them._ Kyoko realized. _Then, why wouldn’t they? Must be terrible losing their daughter like that._ She looked down at her little sister, who still had her face buried in her stomach. _Guess they’re going to be feeling that pain soon, huh? And I can’t really tell them what’s happening, can I? Dad would flip._

Momo released her from the hug as their parents began making their way back towards them. “Don’t worry, Sis, it’ll be okay.” She patted Kyoko’s hand a few times before running back to their mother.

Kyoko watched her for a few moments, before her gaze fell again on Sayaka’s parents.

It hadn’t hit her during Mami’s funeral, because Mami’s parents were already dead. But now, watching her parents support Sayaka’s…

Her eyes barely left Sayaka’s parents for the remainder of the funeral. As her family was preparing to leave, she again saw her father comforting them.

Once they had all gotten into their ride and were on their way home, Kyoko’s mother spoke up. “I can’t imagine what that poor woman is going through, losing her only child like that.” She looked sadly at Kyoko and Momo, all but saying she would be devastated if she ever lost either of them.

Kyoko shifted her eyes away from her mother’s, suddenly feeling very guilty.

“And it’s not just them, either.” Kyoko’s father added. “There’s a lot of families who’ve lost children, or parents or siblings in these attacks.”

“That’s why Church is so full now, right, Daddy?” Momo piped in.

Kyoko’s father sighed sadly. “Sometimes it just takes catastrophe for faith to take root in people’s hearts, terrible as that is.”

“At least the monster hasn’t appeared near us, right?” Momo chimed in again.

“That doesn’t mean it won’t, Momo.” Their mother looked sternly at her. “You still have to be careful. And Kyoko, make sure to look for Momo if something like that ever happens.”

“Yes, Mom.” Kyoko replied, still not looking her mother in the eyes, now feeling even guiltier than before.

_Koyemushi said the robot appeared in Mitakihara because that’s where Sayaka was. So that means if I’m in Kazamino, that’s where the robots are gonna to appear next time. I’m already gonna break all their hearts, and it looks like I’m gonna put them in danger, too._


	17. Kyoko Sakura (5)

Kyoko passed the next few days in a fog. She kept in contact with the other girls, but most of the time she spent with her family, helping her Mom out with chores, playing with Momo, helping her Dad around the church.

_It’s almost as if I’m trying to make up for all the time I’m not going to be able to spend with them after I fight. Or maybe I’m just trying to make this guilt go away…_

The guilt had been hanging in her chest ever since the day of Sayaka’s funeral. Since she saw how hurt Sayaka’s parents had been by her death.

_It’s not like I can **not** fight though, that would mean the whole world would be destroyed. If I want them to be safe I have to fight. Maybe I should look into staying with Madoka or Hitomi until my battle. That would keep them safe from the fighting, too._

But she never went through with it, partly because she didn’t want to put the people of Mitakihara in more danger after the city had already been decimated by Sayaka’s battle, and partly because she wanted to spend her last days with her family.

 _Guess I’m kinda selfish, huh?_ Kyoko thought as she rejected the prospect of leaving home, again. _I wanna keep them safe, but I just can’t seem to do it. I don’t want to leave home and then up and die on them._

Just then she noticed her dad heading into the main chamber of their church.

_No doubt he’s gonna be preparing for another sermon. Recent events sure have been keeping him busy. And it’s been taking it’s toll, too. He’s seemed so sad lately…_

She watched the door her dad passed through swing shut.

_It's gonna totally destroy him, when I die. He already takes the deaths of strangers so personal… ___

Kyoko sighed as she thought for a moment.

_I gotta tell him. He might take it badly, but… It’s better he learn this from me than some other way._

Kyoko got up and followed in her father’s footsteps. As she entered the room she saw him standing at the pulpit, shuffling through a pile of papers. She walked down the aisle before taking a seat in one of the pews in the front row.

After a few moments her dad looked up from his papers. “Ah, Kyoko, I didn’t hear you come in.”

Kyoko didn’t reply, she simply stared at the floor, trying to find the words to say.

“You’ve been very helpful over the past few days, your mother and I are really grateful for that, especially since I’ve been so busy the recovery work in Mitakihara. But we’ve also noticed you’ve been distant since your friend’s funeral. I just want you to know that I’m hear for you, we both are.”

Kyoko continued looking at the floor for a few moments. Then she looked up at him. “Dad, there’s something I have to tell you.”


	18. Kyoko Sakura (6)

“What is it, Kyoko?” Her father looked back at her, calmly waiting for what she had to say. 

“Well…” She averted her eyes again. “What would you say if I told you there were people riding in one of the robots?” 

Her dad sat down on the pew next to her. “I would ask if they knew how many people were being hurt by what they were doing.” 

“They do, but they also know that if they don’t ride in the robot, even more people would be hurt.” 

“Kyoko, what are you trying to tell me?” Once more her dad looked straight at her. 

“At the summer nature school, we all decided to explore a cave together. There was a man in there, and he asked us if we wanted to play a game.” 

“Kyoko! What have your mother and I told you?” 

Kyoko chuckled sadly. “Believe me, Dad, I know. Looking back, it does seem really stupid. By we were all so bored and the game sounded like fun. He said we’d each take turns piloting a giant robot to battle enemies and save the world. I’ve always been a sucker for that sort of thing, daring heroes protecting the world from danger. How was I supposed to know it would turn out the game was real life?” 

“Kyoko you’ve…you’ve been riding in one of the robots?” His voice was quiet, and he stared at Kyoko unsure of how to take the news. 

“I know, it sounds like I’m just making all of this up. But I promise I’m not lying to you, Dad. I really have been riding in a robot, along with all the other girls.” 

“I believe you, Kyoko. I like to think better of you than to think that you would lie to me about this. But…if you all were riding in the robot, then what happened to your friends?” 

“The robot… The robot takes you life in exchange for the privilege of piloting it. It’s sort of like sacrificing your life to save the lives of the people you care about.” 

Her father continued staring at her. “Kyoko…” 

“A bit before the enemy robot appears, our robot chooses who is going to be the next pilot, I guess so they can set everything in order if they want. And…” Kyoko used one finger to pull down the collar of her shirt and expose part of her neck. The part of her neck which bore an ornate mark. “I’m going to be the next person to pilot that robot.” 

The look on her father’s face, which had been sad but calm now changed to one of pure horror. “No, Kyoko!” he shouted as he grabbed her shoulders. “Tell me what I can do to save you!” 

Kyoko looked away from him. “I don’t think you can.” 

“There has to be something I can do! Something I can do to save you, and all the other girls.” 

“We have no choice but to fight, the world would be destroyed otherwise. So really, there’s no saving us either way.” 

“I’m your father.” His shoulders began to shake. “I’m supposed to be the one who makes sure you grow up well and grow up safely.” Tears began to flow from his eyes. “How could I have not noticed something was wrong? This is just like what happened with the church. I so concerned with the state of the world that I failed to noticed the problems I was causing my own family. I’ve failed you as a father.” 

“Don’t say that, Dad. I’ve always admired how you always put others first. I’ve never resented you for anything. I love you, and Mom, and Momo. That’s why I want to do this. I want to be able to protect all of you.” 

Without a word, her father pulled her into a hug.

“I’ve always wanted to protect you from the world, and I wish that this never happened. But if this is what you want to do, what you need to do, if you’ve truly made up your mind…then make sure you give it your all.” 

“I will Dad. And I promise to try and not hurt anyone when I pilot the robot. I want to become a hero that saves people, just like you.” 

“You’re already that hero, Kyoko.” 

“Thanks, Dad.” 

After his daughter said those words, he found himself holding nothing but empty space.


	19. Kyoko Sakura (7)

Kyoko sat in the pilot’s chair, waiting for the battle to start. _At least it waited until after I was done taking to my Dad. I should thank the enemy for that at least. Though he’s probably freaking out right now_.

She’d been teleported right out from his arms and into the cockpit. As soon as she and the other girls arrived they had taken the well-practiced action of moving directly into their seats. All except Hitomi. She didn’t have a chair. According to Koyemushi it would appear only after the robot was finished rolling through the first round of pilots. Only after all the other girls had died, in other words. So Hitomi’d just been told to sit in one of the empty seats.

Kyoko looked right at her. _I guess it’s no surprise she choose that chair_.

Hitomi was sitting in a computer chair.

“All right, time to focus everyone.” Koyemushi’s voice cut through the silence in the cockpit as the viewscreen lit up.

“Whaaaaaa? Where the hell are we?”

Instead of Kazamino the sight that greeted her on the viewscreen was a city Kyoko was unfamiliar with.

“Hey, Koyemushi!”

“Yes?” The creature turned towards Kyoko.

“I thought you said the robots only appear where the pilot is!”

“They do.”

“Like hell they do! This isn’t Kazamino! I have no idea where the hell we are!”

“I would suggest you focus less on the arena and more on your opponent.”

The robot appearing before Kyoko bore a superficial resemblance to a spinning top, with the entire robot balanced on a single point, but with several sets of arms jutting out towards the top.

_It doesn’t matter where this battle takes place, as long as there are bystanders, I need to end this thing as quickly as possible._

Kyoko began to move the robot forward.

_That way I can keep the promise I made to my Dad._

She commanded one of the robot’s arm to reach out, and pierce the enemy robot at its widest point near the top.

Just then, the enemy began to spin.

One of it’s arms hit the arm Kyoko had outstretched, knocking her robot off balance.

Hitomi began to scream, and grabbed the chair she was sitting in with both hands.

_Shit_! Kyoko though as the robot began to fall towards the unfamiliar city below.

“Kyoko, be careful!” Madoka shouted from her chair to the side, “Those buildings.” 

“I know!” Kyoko shouted back. She willed the robot’s arms in front of it, carefully placing them between the buildings, stopping the robot’s fall. 

“Do things like this always happen during your battles?” Hitomi asked, fingers still firmly on the chair. 

“P-pretty much.” Homura replied. “I guess the rest of us are just used to it by now.” 

Just then the entire cockpit shook as the robot took another impact. 

“Get off of me!” Kyoko shouted as she willed the robot to push the enemy away from her and stand back up again.

But just as she completed the action, another impact from the enemy’s arms sent it falling back towards the city. Again she used its arms to stop the fall, careful not to damage any buildings or accidentally hit any people on the street. 

“How am I supposed to hit this thing if I can’t even stand up near it?” Kyoko grumbled in frustration. 

“Maybe you could stand up even closer to it.” 

“Huh?” Kyoko looked towards the person offered the suggestion. 

Hitomi had let go of the chair and was now gesturing earnestly towards Kyoko. 

“If you stood our robot up underneath the enemy’s arms, you could use the impact to knock it over, and then go in for a killing blow.” 

“That’s…actually a really good plan.” Homura nodded in approval. 

“Good thinking Hitomi, you always were really smart.” Madoka, too, cheered on Hitomi’s plan. 

“Are you all insane?!” Kyoko swung her gaze between the other girl’s in the cockpit. “If I did that, do you know how many buildings would be destroyed? How many people would be hurt? How many people would be _killed_?” 

The other girls fell silent at this, and simply stared at Kyoko. 

“Just before I was called into the cockpit, I made a promise to my Dad, that I would make sure no one was hurt during my battle, and no matter what happens I want to make sure that I keep it.” 

“That’s a wonderful sentiment, but you’re going to have to let it go if you want to win this battle.” 

“Huh?” Kyoko looked at the small creature now floating in front of her. “What do you mean, Koyemushi?” 

“I mean, no matter how careful you are, a whole lot of people are going to die as a result of this battle.”


	20. Kyoko Sakura (8)

Madoka was the first to speak up. “What are you saying, Koyemushi? What do you mean a lot of people are going to die?”

“You’re lucky the enemy seems to have halted their attacks for the moment.” Koyemushi’s statement didn’t provide an answer, but it was correct. The cockpit had not experienced an impact in some time.

“I expect they are currently asking questions, too.”

“W-what do you mean, ‘they’re asking questions’?” Now it was Homura making queries. “The enemy is a robot, right?”

“Yes it is.” Koyemushi finally answered one of the questions lobbed at it. “Just like the robot we are all riding in right now.”

“‘Like the robot we’re in…?” Kyoko felt her eyes widen. “Hold up!” She smacked her fist against the pew she was sitting on. “Does that mean there’s people riding in that other robot?!”

“Yes, exactly,” Koyemushi bobbed up and down in the air in such a way as to approximate a nod of approval. “You catch on quickly.”

“But if there’s people in those enemy robots, then what are the vital points?” Madoka’s eyes had also grown wide, and her expression was growing increasingly horrified.

“Why those are the cockpits, of course. In order to win your battles, you have to kill the enemy pilot. Destroying the cockpit is simply the easiest way to do that.”

“That can’t be the only way!” Madoka was leaning forward in her chair, hands tightly gripping her arm rests. “Killing people can’t be the only way to win! Surely just disabling the enemy robot would be enough to stop it from destroying the planet!”

“That’s very idealistic of you.” Koyemushi’s monotone made it difficult to tell if that statement was approving or disproving. “But unfortunately killing the enemy pilot is the only way to win.”

“But, why? Why is this game so horrible?”

“Let me ask you this, why do you think the people in the other robot are fighting you?”

The cockpit fell silent as the girls pondered Koyemushi’s question. Then:

“They’re humans just like us. In a robot just like ours. So…does that mean their reason for fighting is the same as ours, too?” Once again, it was Hitomi providing the solution.

“Huh?” Kyoko tilted her head and stared quizzically at Hitomi. “But if they’re fighting to save the Earth…” She turned her gaze to Koyemushi. “Does that mean this entire game is one sick joke?!”

“Not at all. It’s true that both you and your opponents are fighting to save the Earth, but you’re not fighting for the _same_ Earth.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Homura voiced the confusion all the girls were feeling.

“Have you heard of the many worlds theory? In short, it states that every time an event with multiple possible outcomes occurs, every single possibility happens, each in its own world that branches off from the point of divergence. So every time someone makes a decision it results in a great deal of worlds that are extremely similar to each other. However, such a universe -or multiverse, rather- would eventually collapse under its own weight, because it would lack the energy to maintain all those worlds. That’s why this game exists. To select worlds for culling so the energy contained in those systems can be reused in other worlds.”

“Select worlds…for culling…” Kyoko stared at Koyemushi in horror.

“When a team representing a world loses a battle, their world is erased along with everyone living in it. That’s why I said you should let go of the idea of ending this battle without hurting anyone. Even if you end this battle with no casualties other then the enemy pilot, everyone on this planet is still going to die.”

“But what if I don’t end it?!” Kyoko shouted at the disturbingly calm Koyemushi. “What if I just keep this battle going forever?!”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that. These battles have a time limit, you see. If a winner isn’t decided within 48 hours after the start of the battle, both of the participating worlds are destroyed.”


	21. Kyoko Sakura (9)

_What am I supposed to do? I promised, I promised…_

“Kyoko!!” 

Madoka’s shout snapped Kyoko out of her reverie. She looked up to see the enemy robot once again beginning to spin. 

_What am I supposed to do?_ Kyoko asked herself again as she made the robot step back out of the way of the spinning arms. _I promised my dad that I would try and make sure my battle had no casualties, so how can I kill the population of an entire planet?! But I can’t just run away, either. What the hell should I do?!_

“So that’s it then? You learn one inconvenient truth and you lose the will to fight? Pitiful.” 

“You shut up, Koyemushi!! How can I willingly kill that many people?!” 

“So you’re just going to let them all die instead? Along with all the people on your own Earth?” 

“I…uh…” Koyemushi’s words shocked Kyoko into silence. 

“And think about the people who already died to protect our Earth.” This time the voice was Hitomi’s. “Are you really going to let them die in vain? Was Mami…Was Sayaka… really worth that little to you?” 

“Shut up!!” Kyoko shouted, tears beginning to stream down her face, “We all just thought this was some stupid game! We didn’t know that this was real! We didn’t know that piloting this thing would kill us!” 

“Since when has anything in the world ever been free?” Now it was Koyemushi again. “Did you really think that you would be granted this robot’s power without a price?” 

“What’s the point of it’s power if all it can do is cause destruction?! My dad’s been going to Mitakihara every day after Sayaka’s battle, and the city is still in ruins. Just from one battle! What did she even save?!” 

“Me.” Hitomi said quietly. “Sayaka saved me.” 

Kyoko looked up and stared at Hitomi. 

“If she hadn’t been the one piloting the robot that day…both Kyosuke and I would have died. But instead of letting us die, she took us into the cockpit, and then sent us away from the fighting. She used her power as the pilot to save the both of us.” 

“Then maybe that’s the real power this robot gives us.” There was a surprising amount of strength in Homura’s voice. “The ability to protect the people who are most important to us.” 

_Protect those most important to you?_ Kyoko’s thoughts turned towards her family, her dad, her mom and Momo. _Could I really destroy an entire planet in order to save them? I don’t know…_

_But I do know that I’d never forgive myself if something happened to them because of me._

As the enemy robot yet again approached hers, Kyoko knelt the robot down, and leaned forward. 

_No matter what happens, I want to protect them._

Once the enemy’s arms were above her, she made the robot stand up. The impact rocked the entire cockpit, but Kyoko continued staring forward as she used the robot’s arms to further upend the enemy. 

_I’ll protect them, even if I pay with my life._

The ground shook as the enemy robot made impact. 

_I wanted to be a hero, I wanted to save the world._

Kyoko raised one of the robot’s arms. 

_But if in the end, I can only save them, then that’s fine._

She brought the arm down. 

_I’m sorry, Dad…_

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this work translates to ours in Japanese (watashi tachi no), the same as one of the source works (bokura no).


End file.
